When we think of outdoor games we always have games like cricket, football, hockey , etc in mind. But outdoors are much more than that.
Skateboarding is one such sport which can be fun for kids. Roller skating have been around for decades, but skateboarding is new. May be a decade old in India, but gaining popularity now.
Ofcourse it is quite popular in western countries and is treated as a professional sport, in India as well we see a growing no of people wanting to learn and adopt this as a professional sport.
A skateboard as in image above is made up of three parts = Deck (made of of wood), wheels and angles to fasten the wheels. These skateboards come in various sizes suited for various age groups.
Smaller ones range from 18 to 27 cms and standard ones are of size 71 to 84 cms. Then there are longer ones which are more than 90 cms in lenght. Deck width also vary and wider the width, the greater is stability.
But we can categorize skateboard in 3 broad categories
Standard, the standard ones, smaller in size with smaller wheelbase. Good for learning and skating on streets. Good for learners! Then Longboards which are longer boards 40″+ long and 9″+ wide. Gives greater stability and good for uphill and downhill stunt. More suited for experienced skate boarders. And another category is of Cruiser, the wheelbase for cruisers are wider and softer. Meant for city skating and offer fast acceleration.
In India, Skateboarding is now gaining popularity. People are taking it up as professional sport now. Some popular skateboarding competitions on India which has started recently are:
-Third Eye Tour Skate Competition
-Holystoked Game of Skate
-SK8 Delhi Competition
Most of them are held anually in Bangalore, Delhi, Pune.
Where to buy?
The best way for buy is to check them out personally first and then buy it. You try it first and make sure that you are comfortable with it i.e the length and width. The swedish sports chain, Declathon offers a very good choice of skateboards. This chain is in most of the metros.
Then there are regular sports shops which also sell these. Though you have to be careful with quality.
You can also buy them from sites like Amazon , Snapdeal etc. The problem I see there is that you may not be able to guess the size correctly. So make sure that you understand the product better and know what you are buying.
A word of caution – skateboards are outdoor games and needs balance , smooth surface etc. Hence it is advised that parents are there with kids when they are learning to skate on skatebaords.
Nevertheless, I find it a very good sport and my kid enjoys it. Do give it a try!
Cheers!
Natkhatduniya